The present invention relates to a container, particularly an ashtray for vehicles, comprising a housing and a drawer like insert which is slidably guided for movement in the housing by guide members which are fastened to the sidewalls of the housing. Each guide member is developed as a resilient materials plate with outwardly directed guide projections arranged on the free longitudinal ends of the plate. The guide projections at the housing cooperate with corresponding guide grooves on the insert.
Containers consisting of a housing and a drawer like insert are known for use in ashtrays for vehicles. For example, German Unexamined Application for Patent OS No. 2,157,661 shows leaf springs between the insert and the housing, and the springs are intended to compensate for play between the insert and the housing. German Utility Models No. 1,812,879, 1,832,239 and 1,977,221 disclose cutting free tongues from the sidewalls of the housing and embossing guide projections in the tongues, which guide projections engage in guide grooves in the insert. Ashtrays having guide grooves in the insert and rollers fastened to the housing and sliding in the guide grooves are disclosed in German Provisional Patent No. AS 1,143,726, and in German Utility Models Nos. 1,814,636, 1,742,307, 1,737,300, 1,696,308. Fastening slide pieces on the housing, which slide in guide grooves in the insert, are disclosed in German Utility Models Nos. 1,794,589, 1,759,721, 1,765,298, and German Provisional Patents Nos. AS 1,113,108 and AS 1,225,433. Finally, providing openings in the insert or the housing for the plug assembly of guide members which cooperate with guide grooves provided on the housing or insert is disclosed in German Unexamined Applications for Patent Nos. OS 2,731,984 and OS 3,409,732.
Containers of the type discussed here generally have difficulty in adapting the dimensions of the housing and the insert to each other such that the insert can slide easily, but nevertheless without play, in the housing and such that there are no chattering noises due to vibrations which occur in a vehicle ashtray upon driving.
Previous solutions described above require improvement. Leaf springs are expensive and afford unsatisfactory quality of guidance. Cutting resilient tongues from the sidewalls of the housing and embossing guide projections in them is also expensive. This makes sense only in the case of sheet metal housings. Further, they are unsatisfactory with regard to the quality of guidance of the insert. Providing rollers between the insert and the housing is particularly expensive, and also affords unsatisfactory guidance. Fastening and provision of slide pieces of the known type is expensive and also affords unsatisfactory guidance. Development and provision of guide members described in German Unexamined Applications for Patent Nos. 2,731,984 and 3,409,732 is less expensive. But, they still require improvement in their quality of guidance.
The known arrangements essentially have in common the feature that the guide elements, namely springs, rollers, and slide pieces, are in each case arranged one behind the other in the direction of pushing of the insert so that the insert has resilient support on in one plane. This, however, does not prevent the insert from shaking during actual use.